00686.xml> ALLAN H. SPEAR: An Inventory of His Legislative Records at the Minnesota Historical Society Finding aid prepared by Alex Kent. Minnesota Historical Society

St. Paul, MN.

Manuscripts Collection

Finding aid encoded by Alex Kent, December 2008. Finding aid written in English. October 2010Boxes 13-15 relocatored by David B. Peterson OVERVIEW Minnesota Historical Society Spear, Allan H. Allan H. Spear legislative records. 1972-2000. Materials in English. Includes appointment books, bill files, correspondence, and audio and video recordings pertaining to bills introduced by Spear when he was a member of the Minnesota Senate (1973-2000) and heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee when he was President from 1982-1992. 15.0 cu. ft (15 boxes). See Detailed Description for shelf locations. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Allan H. Spear served on the Minnesota Senate from 1973-2000, representing District 57 (1973-1982), 59 (1983-1992), and 60 (1993-2000) of Hennepin County, and was of the Democratic Farmer Labor Party. He announced he was gay in 1974, becoming one of the first openly gay state legislators in the United States. He was President of the Senate from 1993-2000, and was the first legislator to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee who was not an attorney.

He also served for 18 years on the Crime Prevention Committee, and was a co-founder of the National Gay and Lesbian Elected and Appointed Officials and a board member of the OutFront Minnesota PAC. He was also a member of the State Board Council and the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board from 2001-2003.

He earned a B.A. from Oberlin College in Ohio in 1958, an M.A. from Yale University in 1960, and a Ph.D. in history from Yale University in 1965.

He was instrumental in the passage in 1993 of the Minnesota State Human Rights Act, gurrenteeing protection against discrimination for gays and lesbians.

Spear died on October 11, 2008.

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

Includes appointment books, bill files, correspondence and audio cassettes pertaining to bills introduced by Spear when he was a member of the Senate (1973-2000) and heard by the Senate Judicial Committee when he was President from 1982-1992. Also included are video and audio cassettes related to the the organizations "It's Time Minnesota" and "It's Time Again."

The records reflect Spear's work on issues and legislation pertaining to minority groups, gay rights, criminal justice, local issues, consumer protection, the omnibus Crime Bill, and the protection of vulnerable adults.

Of note are a number of files pertaining to the Omnibus Crime Bill from 1989-1992, campaign files from 1992-1996, and correspondence from 1973 to about 1998.

ARRANGEMENT

These documents are organized alphabetically in the following sections:

Appointment books, 1991-2000. Correspondence, [1973-1998]. Publicity and Political Files, 1972-2000. Sound and Visual Files, 1989-2000. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Allan H. Spear Legislative Records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 15,891.

Processing Information:

Processed by: Alex Kent, December 2008.

Catalog ID number: 006775833

CATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics: Adoption -- Law and legislation -- Minnesota. AIDS (Disease) Child abuse -- Law and legislation -- Minnesota. Child care -- Minnesota. Criminal justice, Administration of -- Minnesota. Criminal law -- Minnesota. Criminal procedure -- Minnesota. Gay rights -- Minnesota. Minorities -- Legal status, laws, etc. Organizations: Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Minnesota -- Minnesota Human Rights Act. Minnesota -- Legislature -- House of Representatives -- Crime Prevention and Corrections Committee. Minnesota. Legislature. Senate -- Judiciary Committee. DETAILED DESCRIPTION 143.E.18.9B 1 Appointment books, 1991-2000. 5 folders. Bill Files: Children and Families: Adoption, 1977-2000. 2 folders. Child abuse, [1994-1995]. 2 folders. 143.E.18.10F 2 Child care, [1975-1986]. 2 folders. Family law, 1973-1993. Criminal Justice: Bad checks, 1991-1999. Corrections, 1991-1999. Courts, [ca.1990]. Crime Prevention, [1974, 1997-1999]. 143.E.19.1B 3 Criminal procedures, 1984-1987. Criminal penalties system, 1983-1987. Sentencing, 1981-1998. 2 folders. Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), 1984-1990. 3 folders. 143.E.19.2F 4 Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), 1990-1999. 2 folders. Drugs, 1980-1992. 2 folders. Fetal death, Injury, [undated]. Guns, [ca.1990s]. Historical interest crimes, 1984-1995. Non-felony Enforcement Advisory Committee (NEAC) supplemental report, January 15, 1997. 143.E.19.3B 5 Non-felony Enforcement Advisory Committee (NEAC) final report, January 15, 1997. Non-felony Enforcement Advisory Committee (NEAC) records, [ca. 1993- ca. 1997]. 4 folders. Omnibus crime bill, 1989-1992. 12 folders. 143.E.19.4F 6 Omnibus crime bill, 1989-1992. 8 folders. Peace officers conduct, 1991. Sexual assualt, 1987-2000. 143.E.19.5B 7 Sexual assault, 1987-2000. Financial and local: Banking, 1981-1991. 2 folders. Minneapolis Convention Center, [undated]. Neighborhood issues, 1975-2000. 143.E.19.6F 8 Neighborhood issues, 1975-2000. Public pension investment, [ca.1981-ca.1984]. 3 folders. Stadium, [ca.1970s]. Gay Rights: AIDS/HIV, [ca.1987]-1997. 143.E.19.7B 9 AIDS/HIV, [ca.1987]-1997. Consenting adults, 1973-2000. Gay inmates, [undated]. Gay rights, [1975-1994]. 3 folders. 143.E.19.8F 10 Hate crimes, [undated]. Minority Groups: Age discrimination, [ca. 1979]. African-American children's health, [undated]. American Indian education, 1974-1999. Compulsive gamblers, 1984-1991. Disability discrimination, 1983-1987. Jewish affairs, [ca. 2000]. Minority communities, [ca. 1985]. 143.E.19.9B 11 MI/MR treatment, 1982-1991. 2 folders. Pre-73 Minneapolis retired teachers health insurance, 1994. Miscellaneous: Animal protection, [undated]. Consumer protection, 1975-1989. Historical records, 1991. Unicameral, 1999-2000. Wine and beer, [undated]. Protection of Vulnerable Adults: Commitment, 1982-1993. 143.E.19.10F 12 Commitment, 1982-1993. Guardianship, 1981-1988. 2 folders. Vulnerable adults, 1984-1995. 2 folders. 142.J.17.1B 13 Vulnerable adults, 1984-1995. 2 folders. Correspondence: A-Z, [1973-1998]. 9 folders. Civil law, family law, and judicial administration, [1973-1998]. 142.J.17.2F 14 Criminal justice, [1973-1998]. 3 folders. Health care access, [undated]. 2 folders. Taxes, [undated]. Loose, [undated]. Publicity and Political Files: Biography and curriculam vitae, [undated]. Campaigns, 1980-1996. 6 folders. 142.J.17.3B 15 Election certification, 1972. Fund raiser invitations, [ca.1991-1995]. Legislative reports, [ca.1983-1996]. Literature, 1972-[ca.1992]. Newspaper columns, 1981-2000. 2 folders. Presentations, 1983-1997. Sound and Visual Files: Crime Prevention legislation session synopsis, May 24, 1993. DOMA Senate floor speech, May 16, 1997. "It's Time Minnesota," [undated]. 1 videocassette. "It's Time Again" first meeting, 2 audiocassettes. Juvenile crime session synopsis, May 7, 1994. MidDay unicameral legislature, September 2, 1999. MidDay, April 24, 2000. 2 audio cassettes. News conference, April 23, 1999.